Paul, the octopus who predicted the outcome of World Cup soccer matches (featured previously at Neatorama), has died at his home at the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre in Germany. He was two years old.

After Germany's semi-final defeat, Paul tipped Spain to beat the Netherlands in the final, which prompted one news agency to report he had spurred a jump in demand for Spanish government bonds. Paul's prediction duly came to pass: Spain won.

Staff at the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre in western Germany said in a statement they were "devastated" to learn of Paul's death when they returned to work on Tuesday.

"He appears to have passed away peacefully during the night, of natural causes, and we are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life," said the centre's manager Stefan Porwoll.

There was no indication that Paul had predicted his passing. Link -via Metafilter